Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 578 The Supreme Emperor
In the Daming Palace, the Xuan Zheng Hall is brightly lit.

Zhang Ting looked up and had the urge to step in. But she didn't have the qualifications, so she could only take a detour to the Hanliang Palace at the back.

A lot of people had gathered on the open space, most of them were kings, princesses and their husbands, all of them were crying.

The news of Li Cong's death has been blocked, and it was announced to the outside that he was critically ill. At this time, everyone was waiting for the imperial edict and discussing things in whispers.

In front, Zhang Si came up hurriedly and gave Zhang Ting a look.

"Didn't take action?"

"We didn't do anything. We just visited the saint to see how he was doing." Zhang Si said, "Xue Ni is not in Chang'an. Who dares to do anything?"

Zhang Ting asked, "Have you controlled the palace gates?"

"Your brother-in-law has already sent someone."

"Where is Shaoyangyuan? I didn't see his family."

Zhang Si said: "At this critical moment, why should we care about these women and children?"

Zhang Ting was determined and said, "I can't rest assured. I must send someone to get his wife and children."

After that, she leaned close to Li Heng's ear and whispered something. Li Heng then called Li Chu over and asked him to arrange for someone to go to Shaoyang Court to arrest the person.

From this incident, it seems that the cooperation between Zhang Ting and Li Chu is no longer as tacit as before.

"The Emperor is here."

"Please stay healthy, Your Majesty."

Following the call of the crowd, Li Longji walked into Hanliang Palace with the support of Gao Lishi.

With his appearance, Zhang Ting felt at ease, knowing that even if someone was on Xue Bai's side, they would not dare to openly oppose the emperor.

Li Heng whispered in her ear, "I will go in with the emperor."

"Okay, the will has been drafted." Zhang Ting said.

"Thanks to you."

Li Heng raised his hand and patted Zhang Ting gently on the back, then stepped into the hall.

The guard at the palace gate had been replaced by Li Tan. When he entered, Dou, Li Yan, Li Qu and others standing by let out a slight whimper.

Li Longji's old and sad voice came from inside.

"You are my eldest son."

"When you were young, I was busy with state affairs and neglected to discipline you, which resulted in you getting scratched on the face while hunting."

"Remember? You also said stupid things when you were young. You said that you were just the offspring of my lust, not my son. You were wrong. I treat all my sons the same..."

Li Heng listened and thought that Li Longji treated each of his sons equally ruthlessly.

He stepped forward and interrupted the unanswered, one-sided and boring conversation between Li Longji and Li Cong without hesitation.

"Grand Emperor, the Saint has passed away."

"Do not."

Li Longji wanted to continue the performance, muttering: "I am still here, how can my son die before me?"

Li Heng thought, isn't this exactly what you wanted? Are you very proud?
He took the imperial edict from Dou, unfolded it and took a look at it, a smile unconsciously appeared in his eyes.

This was a will that Zhang Ting had forged in advance and had Zhang Si deliver to the palace and place with Dou. The content of the will was naturally to give the throne to Li Heng.

"Grandpa, please accept my condolences. My brother has passed away and this was his last wish." Li Heng cooperated in the performance, shedding tears of grief, and handed the will to Li Longji.

Li Longji took it, looked at it, and nodded.

Li Heng whispered, "Only when father and son work together can we protect our ancestors' foundation from falling into the hands of outsiders."

"I know. Let's announce it after all the court officials are here."

"Sir, would you like to meet the important officials in the court first?"

"can."

"I'll help Grandpa to the front hall."

Li Longji slowly stood up, without looking at Li Cong again, and said to Gao Lishi: "Bring Li Zuo here as well."

"Here."

"You can wear mourning now."

With these words, there was a loud cry of grief.

"The Emperor has passed away!"

At this time, only one night had passed since Li Cong's death, and the sky had just brightened. Fortunately, Zhang Ting and others seemed to have known that Li Cong would die, and they had made preparations in advance. Within one night, they took the initiative before others could react.

Li Longji walked up the steps and said in a trembling voice: "I, the old man is sending off the young man."

Before he could finish his words, he was overwhelmed with grief and could no longer speak.

Everyone in the hall knelt down in a rush, and the funeral bell rang in the palace. Then the capital was placed under martial law, and all officials attended the funeral.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Amid the solemn bell sounds, Zhang Ting knelt on the ground with a slight smile on her lips. But when she stood up, Li Chu walked towards her and said, "Shaoyang Courtyard is empty."

"what for?"

"His wife and children are gone."

"Where are the others? Where are his confidants?" Zhang Ting was most concerned about Du Jin, so she asked, "Where is Du Jin? Capture her."

"I don't know."

"Then what do you know?"

"Fan Lao leads the Longwu Army to guard the Forbidden Garden." Li Chu sneered, "Do you think we should attack by force?"

"Don't worry, calm down and wait until we have complete control of the situation." Zhang Ting could no longer smile, "We have to hurry, Xue Ni could be back at any time."

"Don't I know?"

Li Chu snorted coldly and walked towards where Li Heng was.

Zhang Ting hurriedly followed and saw that Li Heng was arranging people to urge all officials to enter the palace as soon as possible to hold a grand court in Xuanzheng Hall. He also did not forget to show filial piety in front of others and arranged for Li Longji to rest in Penglai Hall first.

"Xue Ni will soon launch a counterattack." Zhang Ting reminded him in advance.

Li Heng was filled with fear and wished he could ascend the throne immediately.

But there is no point in rushing such a matter. One has to wait for all the officials to arrive and announce the emperor's death before ascending the throne.

Of course, private recruitment has been going on all the time.

As the three were discussing, Gao Lishi came over and said, "The Emperor asked, has Li Zuo been brought here?"

Li Heng said: "Not yet. The person is not in Shaoyang Courtyard. The palace is in chaos right now and he has not been found yet."

Gao Lishi was not surprised at all. He looked at Zhang Ting and said, "The Emperor wants to see you."

"Here."

Zhang Ting then followed Gao Lishi to the Purple Palace. Li Heng looked at her from behind and murmured, "Why would the emperor see her at this time?"

"I guess it's not for playing dominoes." Li Chu replied indifferently, with some sarcasm in his words.

~~
Zhang Ting walked into the Purple Palace and saw Li Longji sitting there. He looked energetic and confident, having swept away the sadness and decadence just now.

He could give people more courage than Li Heng and Li Chu. When Zhang Ting saw him, he was inexplicably no longer panicked.

"Your Majesty, how did I play this game of cards?"

"That's right." Li Longji said, "I have long seen that you are better at getting people to accomplish things than Li Heng."

Zhang Ting smiled and said, "Now all we need to do is for the emperor to read out his will, and there will be no more worries about the throne falling into the hands of outsiders."

"How can there be an outsider?" Li Longji said, "For me, passing the throne to Li Heng or Li Qian is the same."

Zhang Ting was stunned, and the smile on his face froze. He said, "I don't believe it. If Xue Bai is really your grandson, why did you instruct us to stage a coup? Let us use your name to win over the court officials."

"He is not Xue Bai, he is Li Qian." Li Longji said: "My doing this has nothing to do with whether he is my grandson or not. If Li Heng dared to keep me in seclusion in Taiji Palace, I would definitely find a chance to regain power, because I will not tolerate disobedience."

Zhang Ting was a little confused and shook her head, "I don't understand."

"What I want is power."

There was no one else in the hall except Zhang Ting and Gao Lishi, so Li Longji expressed his desire in the most straightforward way.

He opened his palm as if he wanted to hold something.

"Li Heng's conditions cannot convince me. He wants my position just by saying that our ancestors' country will not fall into the hands of outsiders. Little does he know that this statement is wrong! I do this to take back the power that originally belongs to me."

"But... Your Majesty, you are already seventy years old."

"So what?!"

Li Longji immediately refuted this statement and stood up.

"Look, Li Cong is dead. He died of old age. But what about me? I am still so vigorous and I will definitely live longer than Li Heng. So why should I give him the throne?"

"Li Cong didn't die of old age." Zhang Ting said: "I poisoned him to death. Only in this way can we get there before Xue Ni..."

"I told you, he is Li Qian." Li Longji asked, "Do you know how I can still be so healthy at this age?"

Zhang Ting didn't want to know how he kept healthy.

She was just shocked that a person could be so selfish. He was obviously about to die of old age, but he still wanted to hold on to his power.

He doesn't care about his ancestors, the country, or his descendants. He only cares about himself.

"I cultivate immortality."

Li Longji smiled and told Zhang Ting the answer.

"Over the years, I have cultivated immortality, so although I am seventy years old, I am actually younger than a fifty-year-old. I need the worship of the people of the world to live forever. Only when I am above all living beings can my life be meaningful..."

"Are you crazy?" Zhang Ting finally couldn't stand it anymore and screamed, "You used me, and then you're crazy?!"

Li Longji ignored her gaffe, walked a few steps in a leisurely manner, and came to Zhang Ting and said, "I will not appoint another emperor. I want to be the 'emperor emeritus'."

"The Supreme Emperor? Then what is Li Heng? What am I?"

Zhang Ting finally understood Li Longji's intentions. She had originally intended to help Li Heng seize the throne in the name of Li Longji, but now it seemed that Li Heng could not even get the title of crown prince. It seemed that Li Longji wanted to be the emperor for a few more years before appointing a crown prince.

She wanted to be a queen all her life, but in the end her dream came to nothing.

The next moment, Li Longji patted her shoulders with both hands.

"What you are is not decided by Li Heng, but by me."

In the world today, he is the only one who can call himself "I", and he has an aura of supreme majesty.

Zhang Ting was stunned for a moment, raised her head, and looked at Li Longji, but she still didn't fully understand. "If I can confer the title of Imperial Concubine on Taizhen, I can also confer the title on you, and even more so on your son."

"How can it be?!"

Zhang Ting felt that not only Li Longji was crazy, she herself was crazy too.

This is ridiculous, extremely ridiculous. She is not only Li Longji's daughter-in-law, but also his cousin.

But there are also more ridiculous things that have happened in the world. Under the tearing of power, everyone's face is so distorted and their hearts are torn to pieces.

Yes, if Xue Bai was really Li Qian as Li Longji said, then the incident with Yang Yuhuan was a great shame and humiliation for Li Longji. Stimulated by this, he was eager to regain the throne and also wanted to inflict this great shame and humiliation on others.

The scary thing is that when she thought about it carefully, she actually felt that this was a good condition.

Not to mention the matter of enthroning her, she did not want to be Li Longji's queen, she could not bear such a bad reputation. As long as her son could be enthroned as the crown prince, it would be enough. Li Longji thought he could live forever, but that was impossible after all.

He will certainly die one day, but he will most likely live longer than Li Heng. Her son is still too young, and now a powerful emperor can at least guarantee the safety of them better than Li Heng and Tian Shengong.

During these ten years, he needed her assistance to repair his lost prestige, while she needed his protection to let her son gain a deeper foundation.

Just mess up everything, destroy all morals, and indulge in power.

Zhang Ting smiled again, with a hint of charm in the corners of her eyes.

She hadn't laughed like this in a long time.

The two looked at each other, and Li Longji knew that she had understood what he meant. She had always been a very smart woman, and in her current situation, intelligence was more attractive than beauty.

"I will not read this edict."

Li Longji took out the will given by Li Heng and threw it aside.

Zhang Ting said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I won't let Li Heng cause trouble."

"As long as you know how to do it."

"Then... Li Chu?"

"If Li Qian dies, there is no need to keep Li Chu. If Li Qian is alive, let them fight again."

Zhang Ting said: "I'm afraid he has already noticed our plan. Not only did he leave Chang'an, he also took his family away. I'm afraid he may come back at any time."

Li Longji said: "Li Qian did expect it. He deliberately allowed you to kill Li Cong, and planned to catch you all in one fell swoop for the crime of treason."

Zhang Ting's face changed, knowing that this was something Xue Bai could do.

Xue Bai probably used the opportunity of fighting against Tubo to relax their vigilance and kill Tian Shengong, allowing them to kill Li Cong and put the bad reputation they originally intended to frame him on their heads.

Li Longji was very calm and said, "Li Qian had made many calculations, but he would not have expected that Li Heng would not ascend the throne in the end, but I would take power again. He has no reason to attack Li Heng, but he cannot attack me. Moreover, I will mobilize troops faster than Li Heng, and with the reinforcements from Tubo, victory is certain."

Zhang Ting finally felt relieved, feeling that Li Longji was much more powerful than Li Heng.

She was about to leave, but Li Longji said, "There is one more thing, Li Zuo, you can't touch him."

"Why?"

"Because that is my great-grandson in his cradle."

Zhang Ting was increasingly puzzled, and she also felt that Li Zuo posed a strong threat to her son, so she asked, "How can the Supreme Emperor be sure of Xue... Li Qian's identity? What if he is an imposter..."

"Do you think that without my approval, he could have gone from the East Palace to Xue Xiu's villa?"

Zhang Ting was extremely surprised. She looked up and met Li Longji's unfathomable eyes.

She didn't dare ask any more questions. She turned around to glance at Gao Lishi and walked out.

~~
Li Heng was still arranging this court meeting which was of vital importance to him. He remained calm and capable despite being busy. Although he looked sad, he was overjoyed in his heart.

Finally, he saw Zhang Ting coming out of the Purple Palace, so he asked, "What did he say to you? It took so long."

"As for Xue Ni, he is worried that Xue Ni will come back to kill him." Zhang Ting said, "Maybe we should let Li Chu lead the imperial guards to stop him?"

"Wouldn't it be safer to control Chang'an and guard the city gates?"

"That's your business. I have to send someone to find Xue Ni's family."

Zhang Ting said this and left.

Li Heng looked back at her and snorted in his heart.

In fact, the two are still divorced, and when he ascends the throne, Zhang Ting will no longer be of any use to him. Learning from Emperor Gaozong's lesson, he would never make such a ruthless woman his queen.

The sound of bells echoed, and gradually, important officials came into the palace and wept and kowtowed to Li Cong.

Li Heng and Li Chu also walked towards the Xuanzheng Hall and stood in the queue of kings, with Li Heng standing at the first.

He glanced back and saw many of his brothers, as well as Li Zhen, Li Tan, Yang Hui and other relatives and nobles who supported him. Many of the court officials were also his former subordinates. Xue Bai did not carry out a large-scale purge.

And there was no one standing in front of him.

"The Emperor has arrived!"

Following the call, Li Longji walked into the hall, slowly sat down on the dragon throne, and accepted the kowtow and consolation of his important ministers.

Today, everyone has finally forgotten the disaster that this retired emperor brought to the Tang Dynasty by neglecting his duties and condoning An Lushan's actions.

"Last night, I lost my eldest son." Li Longji said, "And my grandson, the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty, is still conquering Tubo..."

Li Heng was surprised and felt that what Li Longji said was wrong. It was different from what was written in the edict. The edict listed Xue Bai's crimes, deposed the crown prince, and made him the successor.

He quietly raised his head and took a look, and was surprised to find that the eunuchs were not holding any imperial edicts, and Li Longji seemed to be discussing with the officials in a sincere attitude.

"A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. In this precarious time, what do you think we should do? Should we send someone to recall the crown prince, or appoint a new ruler?"

"I request that the Emperor Retired take charge of the government!"

Li Heng was startled by the voice and turned around, only to see Wei Jiansu suddenly making a loud request.

The prime minister did so, and the others followed suit.

"I ask the Emperor to come to the throne and take charge of the government."

Li Zhen, Li Tan, Yang Hui and others were almost the first to bow down, followed by officials like Li Xian who had a relatively neutral stance. Finally, officials like Yuan Zai who were inclined to Xue Bai also followed suit when they saw that the situation was hopeless.

For them, having the emperor emeritus take charge of the government meant that the emperor would not be appointed for the time being. On the surface, they were waiting for Xue Bai to return to Chang'an. This was not an unacceptable result.

Finally, Yan Zhenqing and Du Youlin looked at each other and nodded slightly, agreeing.

Li Heng was stunned. He turned to look at Li Chu, asking with his eyes.

However, the situation was completely out of his control. He started the rebellion excitedly, but in the end it seemed like he was just watching a show.

~~
"The Emperor Emeritus? What does that mean? The Crown Prince is still Xue Bai, so what happened to the coup we worked so hard for?!"

"If I cannot ensure that the country does not fall into the hands of outsiders, I will die with regret!"

After the court meeting, Li Heng finally couldn't hold back his anger and complained to Zhang Ting and Li Chu.

He felt that Li Longji and Xue Bai seemed to have joined forces. Xue Bai left the capital, while Li Longji stayed behind to watch the situation and not give him any chance to take advantage.

"I am his son!" Li Heng pointed at his chest angrily, "Twenty years ago, I was the crown prince!"

Li Chu was relatively calm and said, "The key point now is whether Xue Bai is dead or not."

Zhang Ting said: "The news will come back in the next two days."

"It is also possible that Xue Bai is back." Li Chu said, "Grandpa, don't worry too much about the emperor, he is already old. As long as I can have the military power, it will be easy to get rid of Xue Bai and help you ascend the throne."

Li Heng was extremely annoyed, but he had no other choice but to let Li Chu make his arrangements.

He finally felt a little regretful that he should not have gotten rid of Li Tan back then.

Li Neng was his best son, with strategy and the ability to lead troops in battle. If Li Neng were still alive, he would never let Li Longji reap the fruits.

On that day, Chang'an was under martial law, and Li Chu sent scouts westward to inquire about Xue Bai's movements.

However, the scout had just left the city when he came back to report that very day.

It was almost evening at this time, and Li Chu was still looking at the list of imperial guards, wondering who he could win over. Upon hearing the announcement, he hurried to invite Li Heng and Zhang Ting.

"Why are you back so soon?!"

"I'm back, just outside the city..."

"Who's back?" Zhang Ting asked hopefully, "Is it Tian Shengong?"

"It's Xue Ni."

"What? He led his troops back to attack?"

"He only brought more than 200 people with him. He is now at the city gate and has not yet attacked the city."

"What does this mean?!"

"The villain doesn't know."

Li Heng then sent people to inquire again, and when his people came back, the city was already in an uproar.

Xue Bai was stationed outside the city, spreading the news that he had encountered a mutiny led by Tian Shengong. After interrogation, he learned that Li Heng was planning a rebellion, so he hurried back to Chang'an.

The wind direction in Chang'an changed drastically. Public opinion in the court and the country was suddenly boiling, and everyone accused Li Heng of treason.

It is conceivable that this must have been arranged in advance by Xue Bai. Many people did not even hear about the emperor's reign, but instead learned about Li Heng's rebellion first.

"Sure enough, he is deliberately creating confusion and wants to kill me."

Li Heng was a little scared when he heard the news, and said, "But he certainly didn't expect that I didn't ascend the throne at all."

"What should we do now?" Zhang Ting asked.

Li Heng then looked at Li Chu.

Li Chu said directly: "I will lead the troops to kill him."

"What's the reason?"

"It's just a few hundred people. If we kill them first, how can we not find a reason?"

"Don't let it slip again."

Li Chu nodded with a heavy face, but he was not very sure.

He knew that if they sent out troops first, it would prove that they and Xue Bai were in treason. The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit, so of course the loser is the one who is in treason.

As for the fact that Xue Bai was blocked outside the city, he was also very vigilant.

With Xue Bai's current prestige and strength, it is impossible that there is no spies in the city. He could have led the army back and marched straight into the palace. Why didn't he enter the city?

Either their main force was really tied down by Tubo, or they did it for the sake of justice.

But Li Chu had no choice at all. The longer the time dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for him. He could only annihilate Xue Bai in one fell swoop before he entered the city.

Li Heng did not place all his hopes on Li Chu. He knew that Li Chu's guards might be defeated before he could even kill Xue Bai. So he immediately went to see Li Longji and requested Li Longji to issue an edict declaring Xue Bai guilty of treason.

Unexpectedly, the father and son, who had just worked together, immediately had a disagreement.

"Who told you to send troops?!" Li Longji was furious, slamming the table and shouting, "Do you really think that the gates of Chang'an stopped him? I am the emperor emeritus and I have the right to rule the country. He has no reason to do anything to me. If you send troops, you will give him an excuse. Why don't you call him back?"

(End of this chapter)